It’s not often that we have a resident Super Hero run for a seat on the Bedford Central School Board. They say that past behavior is indicative of how a person will perform in a new role, and in this case; there is no more qualified candidate than Colette Dow. Just like a Super Hero, Colette has arrived just in time, as the BCSD faces tough choices over the next few years. Furthermore, Pound Ridge sorely needs representation on our School Board.

For those of you unaware of what Colette and her cape are capable of, allow me to provide a brief summary:

As a former Chief Operating Officer of a financial services firm and current owner of the Pound Ridge School of Dance she knows a thing or two about what it takes to make a dollar, invest a dollar, spend a dollar and SAVE a dollar. She uses a data driven approach to make decisions, but knows some decisions can’t be made on data alone and require emotional intelligence.

As a Trustee to her college alma mater, St. Bonaventure, she knows how to chart a course for the future. She knows that we not only need to look at the dollars spent today but how expenditures will impact the future. She knows our stakeholders are not only the parents with school aged children but property owners who want to maintain the value of their homes.

As former co-President and current Treasurer of the Pound Ridge Elementary School PTA, she knows about what our parents and teachers want for our students. She knows how to make complicated decisions and navigate a diverse cross section of opinions, parents, educators, and administrators.

As a 3rd grade religious education teacher at St. Patrick’s Parish in Bedford NY, Colette donates her time and helps shape our sons and daughters moral fiber. She’ll carry that high standard of ethics in her post on the Board.

She knows it takes a village to get things done and knows how to leverage the community toward a common goal. Who do you think was one of the volunteer coordinators for Pound Ridge Pride, Harvest Fest, and Go Green day? With all she does to enhance our community, Ms. Dow knows how to gather the masses and set a course of common action.

As a parent of a 5th and 3rd grader, she wants what is best for her children. She wants what’s best for your children. This is a nurturing school environment: one that teaches critical thinking and problem solving where children learn how to learn and not how to take a test. She wants our kids to have opportunities to play sports, learn music, and appreciate art – and get accepted to any college they want. She wants each and every student to feel pride in the Bedford Central community. She wants our children to get the best education our taxes can buy (and by the way, that should be top tier and we’ve been settling too long).

As Spider-Man’s uncle Ben stated, “With great power comes great responsibility”. I can think of no one I’d rather see responsible for charting our school community’s future and vision, than our own local heroine, Colette Dow. Please join me in voting for Mrs. Dow, someone in which we can trust and believe. Please come out on May 20th and cast your vote.